Weekend brew round-up: Tin Whiskers, Art-A-Whirl, and much more

This weekend brings a wealth of brewery news, from anniversaries to taprooms opening for the first time. It's the close of Craft Beer Week, and the start of Art-A-Whirl. You'd be hard pressed to not be somewhere with an impressive lineup of local brews.

On Friday, Tin Whiskers will hold a soft opening from 3 to 11 p.m. The new brewery in downtown St. Paul is is still working on plans for a later grand opening, but curious fans can check out the product now.

It's Art-A-Whirl time in Northeast. Indeed, 612Brew, and Boom Island all have plans for the weekend with special beers, live music, food trucks, and art.

On Saturday, the Stillwater Brewer's Bazaar takes place aboard the Avalon Riverboat, featuring beer samples from a number of breweries such as Big Wood, American Sky, Bard's Tale, Fulton, and more. Up in Duluth, Bent Paddle turns one with a large-scale "Festiversary 2014" featuring live music, 12 beer varieties, food trucks, and games and activities. "Dress appropriately for rain or shine or snow," their website proclaims. It will run from noon to 6 p.m. in the Bent Paddle parking lot.

On the smaller scale, Zambaldi Bros. are sharing samples of their recipes at the Linden Hills neighborhood garage sale. The start-up is in the process of securing a contract brewing deal.

As for new beers, Surly's sour Pentagram is available for those who can get a bottle. Bent Paddle just released Paddle Break Blonde, and Steel Toe has released Sommer Vice.

For those looking for food trucks away from the big events, Summit will feature Tollefson Family Grill (Friday) and Taste of Target Field (Saturday), Steel Toe will feature Red River Kitchen (Friday) and AZ Canteen (Saturday), and Surly will host Lulu's Street Food (Friday) and Asian Invasion (Saturday).